By Victoria Priester, Cornell DVM ’26

In the Kasongoire Forest of western Uganda, nearly 60 chimpanzees build nests and nap in Ficus trees; playful infants jump energetically from hanging vines, while young males sit in circles to groom each other. When you are deep in the forest observing the chimps, it is easy to forget that this forest is only a fraction of its former size. Kasongoire has been broken up into fragments to make room for commercial sugar cane fields, and the remaining areas continue to shrink due to illegal encroachment—which I observed firsthand this summer as an intern with the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI).

During my time in Uganda, I learned about the threats to chimpanzee health and conservation by studying chimps in three different habitats: in the fragmented forests of Kasongoire, in captivity at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, and in Kibale National Park, a protected forest. My summer experience was part of the Engaged Cornell Program and funded by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Expanding Horizons International Education Program.

Bridging Health and Conservation: A One Health Approach

The loss of habitat forces the Kasongoire chimpanzees to leave the forest in search of food, often venturing into the gardens and crops of nearby villages. Together with a Cornell undergraduate student and a Ugandan forest monitor, we visited over 70 households in these villages to learn about their interactions with wildlife. When I asked one woman how often she sees chimpanzees in her garden, she chuckled, from amusement and exasperation, and replied, “The chimpanzees are daily customers here.” Unfortunately, what they take from these gardens means a loss of income or food for local families. The proximity of the chimps to people and their domestic animals also creates a risk of disease transmission.

To address this, we embarked on a four-part One Health surveillance project to map out areas with a high risk of disease transmission between people, chimpanzees, and domestic animals. Over the course of a month, we visited regional health centers to learn about common human health issues in the Kasongoire area. In addition to interviewing villagers, we tracked chimpanzees in the forest and recorded their activities and collected fecal samples from chimps and domestic animals. We also documented potential points of contact between people, wildlife, and livestock, such as cow tracks in the forest, places where goats drink from springs used by people, or chimpanzees eating sugar cane. Each observation was logged with GPS coordinates to create a map of high-risk zones for disease transmission.

We also analyzed fecal samples from chimpanzees and domestic animals for parasites. Most chimpanzees had mixed parasitic infections; one sample contained four different parasites. One day, while tracking a small group of chimpanzees at the forest edge, a livestock owner passed by with a herd of cattle. I watched as a chimp named Ben, lounging in a tree, perked his chin up to watch the cattle idle past and stop to graze less than 10 feet away from his tree. Interactions like these—where humans, livestock and wildlife live out their lives in such close proximity—were a daily occurrence in the Kasongoire forest region. While we were unable to definitively determine that livestock and wildlife share parasite species, JGI plans to use our pilot study as a springboard for more in-depth One Health surveillance projects in the future.

After completing preliminary data collection for this One Health project, I traveled to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Lake Victoria. The sanctuary is home to 53 chimpanzees, most of whom have been rescued from the pet trade or bushmeat trade. On the island, I participated in the annual chimp physical exams and dental cleanings, with the animals of course being under anesthesia. I assisted with the complete workup, and refined my ultrasound skills locating abdominal and thoracic organs, and I got a lot of practice collecting blood samples, identifying fecal parasites under a microscope, intubating patients, and placing an IV catheter. The sanctuary’s veterinarian also taught me how to load and pressurize the dart gun used for anesthesia, and how to manage potential side effects. The chimpanzees, however, have become creative in their ways of avoiding the dart when it’s time for their anesthetic procedure—one chimp, Kikjo, would do flips in his enclosure to keep the veterinarian from getting a clear shot.

I also participated in other JGI programs. For example, I joined JGI's reforestation efforts by spending two days with their Gender Responsive Economic Enhancement & Natural Ecosystems Resilience (GREENER) project. GREENER empowers women to plant and raise native tree seedlings, helping restore lost forest cover and providing them with income. In addition, I visited local schools to educate young students about conservation and inspire them to consider becoming veterinarians. It was encouraging to see how schools across Uganda are promoting environmental stewardship from a young age.

Protecting Wild Chimpanzees and Snare Removal

Following my time at Ngamba Island, I spent two weeks with the Kibale Chimpanzee Project (KCP) in Kibale National Park in southwest Uganda. Training with the KCP veterinarians reinforced how much work remains to protect wild chimpanzees. One day, I joined the Kibale Snare Removal Program, which patrols the forest daily to find and remove snares set by poachers. The snares are set by poachers to catch animals such as duikers or various species of wild pigs for food. However, they are often placed near water sources where any animal, including chimpanzees, can unfortunately become entangled. During our patrol, we found and removed two nylon snares before they could cause harm. Finding a snare in the forest is a grim victory—you celebrate finding it before an animal is caught, but the presence of one snare reminds you of how many others are likely hidden in other parts of the forest, and of the need to find them before they permanently injure or kill an animal.

The following day, the KCP veterinarians received a call about a male chimp who had been found with a wire snare around his upper arm. We hiked over three miles into the forest, sedated the chimp with a dart, removed the snare, cleaned the wound, and gave him antibiotics. When we tracked the chimp a few days later, he was using the arm again and is expected to make a full recovery. While I was grateful to be present for and participate in the snare removal procedure, I hope that one day chimps can live freely in the forest without the threat of human-caused injury. JGI and KCP estimate that 25% of wild chimpanzees have suffered at least one snare-related injury, and many are left permanently maimed—missing hands, feet, or fingers.

The plight of wild chimpanzees across their range continues, but there are hundreds of people just in Uganda working tirelessly to come up with creative ways to preserve and restore habitats and respond to health emergencies. This experience made it clear to me that I want to continue working in wildlife health and conservation after graduation, particularly with a governmental agency or organization that pairs clinical veterinary medicine with initiatives supporting ecosystem health.

I am grateful to the Jane Goodall Institute for showing me how veterinarians can join forces with professionals from other disciplines to design and implement programs that address wildlife health issues holistically. Their work tackles threats to wildlife conservation not only from a clinical standpoint, but also through habitat restoration and by combating food insecurity that can lead to poaching. This unrelenting dedication to securing a future for chimpanzees gives us hope, and when we still have hope, the fight is far from over.

Victoria Priester, Class of 2026, is a third-year DVM student in the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. She hopes to work as a clinical veterinarian focused on wildlife health and conservation.

Photos provided by Victoria Priester.